'Ratings machine' Trump raps TV successor Schwarzenegger

WASHINGTON, Jan 6, 2017 (BSS/AFP)- As Donald Trump readies to move into the Oval Office, Arnold Schwarzenegger has stepped into his old shoes -- as host of the reality show "Celebrity Apprentice" -- and the president-elect is not impressed.

In a pair of early morning tweets Friday, Trump ripped into the "Terminator" actor-turned-politician, mocking the viewer figures for the season premiere this week -- and calling himself a "ratings machine" by comparison.

"Wow, the ratings are in and Arnold Schwarzenegger got 'swamped' (or destroyed) by comparison to the ratings machine, DJT. So much for...."being a movie star-and that was season 1 compared to season 14. Now compare him to my season 1. But who cares, he supported Kasich & Hillary," he said.

The former California governor was among the Republican figures who refused to back Trump's inflammatory bid for the presidency -- although he stopped short of endorsing the Democratic ticket of Hillary Clinton and running mate Tim Kaine.

Schwarzenegger, 69, tweeted back at Trump: "I wish you the best of luck and I hope you'll work for ALL of the American people as aggressively as you worked for your ratings."

After hosting 14 seasons of "The Apprentice" and "The Celebrity Apprentice," Trump is staying on as executive producer of the show after he is sworn in as president on January 20.

His successor as host, an ex-bodybuilder and action movie star who made a name with the "Terminator" franchise, took his first steps on the eighth season of "The New Celebrity Apprentice" Monday.

The premiere -- in which stars including boxer Laila Ali and singer Boy George completed business-related challenges judged by Schwarzenegger -- drew 4.9 million viewers, against 6.5 million for the first episode of Trump's final season, two years ago.

The Austrian native rolled out a new catchphrase: "You're Terminated!" -- a riff on Trump's trademark put-down, "You're Fired."

The Austrian-born Hollywood star -- who became a US citizen more than three decades ago -- leveraged his popularity into a career in politics, serving as governor of California from 2003 to 2011.